Did Noel’s gruesome injury expand the Big 12’s NCAA bubble?

Bracketologists everywhere were lamenting the gruesome knee injury sustained by Kentucky center Nerlens Noel and what it could mean to the Wildcats’ hopes of returning to the NCAA Tournament.

Kentucky officials announced earlier Wednesday that Noel, the nation’s leader in blocked shots and a potential No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, will miss the rest of the season. Surgery is expected in two to three weeks and Noel’s recovery time is estimated at six to eight months.

Noel is expected to recover without many problems. Watching Adrian Peterson slice through NFL defenses last season shows that modern medicine can do some amazing things if an athlete is motivated to return.

The immediate prognosis for John Calipari’s team (17-7) after the loss at Florida isn’t nearly as rosy. The Wildcats will need to either finish quickly or snag a couple of unexpected victories in the Southeastern Conference tournament if they hopes of defending their NCAA championship.

This could be construed as good news for the Big 12, which appears to have six tournament-worthy teams heading into tonight’s game. Oklahoma (16-7), Iowa State (16-7) and Baylor (15-8) are sitting on a similar bubble and need a fast finish to win their way into an NCAA tournament bid.

The Wildcats still have tough road games against Arkansas, Georgia and Tennessee remaining as well as the tournament. It will take some strong coaching from Calipari to ensure his team finishes strongly without its best player.

Kentucky’s injury woes are a sad predicament. But it potentially could open the NCAA tournament for another team, depending on how the season plays out.

And it continues a certain February-March basketball altruism: one team’s misfortune could benefit another one.